Scuba do

Thursday, May 14, 1998

Scuba do

SCUBA: The ocean calls many to explore its mysterious depths
where people can fly through alien waters

By Steve Kim

Daily Bruin Staff

The open sea. Simply magnificent. It’s refreshing, mesmerizing
and inspiring at the same time. And that’s merely looking from the
outside. Just imagine how it’s like from the inside.

Scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) diving has
become an increasingly popular recreational sport. The lure of the
ocean and diversity of underwater life for one’s viewing pleasure
keeps the first-time diver coming back for more.

"It’s a world that isn’t dominated by us," said Aaron Fong,
fourth-year student. "It’s like we’re visitors in an alien
world."

Fong, a marine biology student with a minor in atmospheric and
oceanic sciences, has been diving for two years and is training to
be an assistant instructor for the UCLA Scuba diving program. After
taking the introductory class to prepare for his marine biology
field quarter, he was hooked.

"My favorite dive was in Catalina," he said. "I was diving with
a friend and he pointed to what we thought was some algae. But then
it started to change colors. It turned out to be an octopus, and we
dove around trying to chase it.

"Then right before we were about to come to the surface, this
huge school of tiny fishes came and swam around us for 10 minutes.
It would come at us really fast, and split just when we thought it
was going to hit us. It engulfed us like a suit that’s alive and
moving. We just floated there watching it."

For Fong and many other enthusiastic divers, it’s an experience
worthy of carrying and cleaning heavy loads of gear and enduring
chilly California water.

The first Scuba diving class in the United States was taught at
UCLA in 1961 by a few marine biologists who wanted better access to
the underwater world than snorkeling.

Since then, the diving program here has primarily served
scientists in their underwater research. Although recreational
divers have been taught, the program hasn’t offered a course in the
Recreation Quarterly for several years – until this spring.

"We have a huge population of students, and they should at least
be offered that as a recreational activity," said Frank DiCrisi,
UCLA diving safety officer, and the main instructor of the course.
"We can exist just fine without offering it as recreation, but I
recognize in a university like this, we should have (a scuba diving
course)."

But before one considers scuba as a hobby, DiCrisi offers some
advice. Because scuba is physically demanding and potentially
dangerous to anyone with health problems, a thorough medical
examination is strongly encouraged.

"The other thing," DiCrisi added, "is that they should go into
it knowing they’re going to dive a lot immediately after training.
The comfort level of somebody who has five dives compared to
somebody who has 10 is like night and day. So they should plan on
doing a lot of conservative dives."

A frivolous or daring diver can quickly get himself injured – in
extreme cases, fatally. As a diving safety officer, DiCrisi can’t
stress enough about diving conservatively.

"One of the biggest misconceptions about diving is that the
deeper you go, the more you achieve," DiCrisi said. "But you’re
going to be able to have most of your enjoyable diving in shallow
areas, because there’s more light and animals to see."

One needs to be certified to dive, and certification is granted
after completing a diving course. After missing scuba diving
opportunities in Hawaii last summer, second-year anthropology
student Galen Holmes had been looking for a diving class. She
finally found one offered by UCLA through the Recreation Quarterly
this spring, and is currently taking the beginner’s course.

The diving program at UCLA also offers courses for scientific
divers as well as for instructors-to-be. All of them, as Holmes
learns from her beginning course, share a common emphasis – diving
safety.

"I was actually aware about the risks of diving, because I lived
in a scuba diving community and there’d be news of diving
accidents," Holmes said. "I was nervous about all the risks but the
instructors here tell you everything about it. And once you learn
to do everything right comfortably, you don’t have to worry as
much."

After the completion of this class, Holmes may be certified to
dive recreationally. She can finally look forward to making up all
the pleasure diving opportunities she missed.

"If I ever go to Hawaii again, I want to dive there," she said.
"I love the water, and I want to be able to see things that live
under it. There are so many things to see and they’re so
beautiful."

For some, diving has led them to unexpected places in life. Take
for example Graham Forrester, assistant professor of biology at
UCLA.

"I started diving," he admitted with a smile, "because I wanted
to go out with the woman that ran the scuba diving club. I went out
with her for three years, so it was worth it."

By the way, he enjoyed the diving, too.

"What I like about diving is you can basically ‘fly’ around in
water," he said. "It’s one of the few places where you can watch
animals do their thing without being scared of you."

Things have changed since Forrester was a college undergraduate.
For one, he’s no longer with that diving instructor. He’s happily
married, and parent of a baby girl with Linda, who’s also a
research diver. When he first started diving, he never imagined it
would lead to where he is now. Basically, one thing led to
another.

"I started volunteering for marine researchers later in my
college years, and then applied to go to the Great Barrier Reef in
Australia. I figured that was a fun way to go where I wanted to go
and do things that I wanted to do."

He continues to work in the most exotic places. Just last
summer, Forrester spent his summer researching marine reef fish
ecology in the Bahamas. Since he usually spends about 3 1/2 hours a
day in the water, he says it’s like going to the office.

What started as a hobby led Forrester to a fulfilling career.
Who knew?

Scuba diving has led DiCrisi on a similar path. As a freshman at
UCLA, he took a diving class here and started going out with a peer
diver. The two took more classes, and DiCrisi eventually became an
assistant instructor. But the fun was supposed to stop there.

DiCrisi’s initial career plan was to attend law school. He did
everything from working full time at a law firm to spending a
quarter in Washington D.C. But at the same time he was accepted to
Loyola law school, he was offered to take over the diving program
by the retiring officer.

"I thought I was going to law school," DiCrisi laughed. "But I
thought, ‘Let’s see. I can make a lot of money, or I can do what I
like doing right now.’ And I decided education and science was what
I loved. I get to help scientists facilitate their research and I
get to teach scuba diving classes.

"To make that decision at that point in life was not easy, but
it was a good decision. I still get a rush when I see people coming
out from their first dive and talking about how exciting it
was."

For some, scuba diving is a lifestyle. DiCrisi, for example,
dives just about every day. He also may be on call at odd hours for
night divers or researchers working halfway around the world. But
he loves what he does. It’s a passion.

"I get out in the ocean all the time and just think, ‘I’m
underwater, under a boat, scuba diving – and I’m working. I love my
job.’"

Scuba divers practice buddy breathing, a technique used in case
of emergencies.

Photos by JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin

UCLA Scuba divers go through drills in the Men’s Gym Pool.